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Medical Marijuana Ranks Highly For Thailand’s Military, Here Is Why

The South-East Asia region is famous for its brutal approach to dealing with drug use and production. But, Thailand seems to be softening its stance as authorities aim to set up a homegrown medical marijuana industry. The conservative, military-dominated government has sponsored this effort. If successful, Thailand will become a regional epicenter for the production and distribution of medical marijuana.

Earlier this January, Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health unveiled its initial full-time medical marijuana clinic in Bangkok.

Who Gets A Prescription?

The Federal Government approved the sale of medical marijuana for the treatment of illnesses like Parkinson’s disease, cancer, anxiety, Alzheimer’s, and epilepsy. The government plans to open more clinics in greater Bangkok with appointments accessible using a smartphone app.

Thai Government’s campaign for medical marijuana is led by Dr. Ganja and Prime Minister, former military general Prayut Chan-o-cha. Cannabis has been a part of traditional Thai medicine and cooking, acting as a versatile pain reliever. Since it was outlawed in 1935, Thailand became the first country in South-East Asia to legalize it in December 2018.

The then military-dominated parliament voted to amend the 1979 Narcotic Act. Marijuana was subsequently legalized for medical use and research. A Health Ministry website informs and educates the Thai public about cannabis cultivation and medical research. Higher education institutions, social enterprises, government agencies, agricultural producers, and medical professionals are authorized to grow marijuana for medical use.

Rangsit University in Bangkok opened the first medical cannabis research institution in the country in April 2019. Though possession and trafficking of drugs attract harsh penalties, legal changes may let people bring cannabis into Thailand. Moreover, foreigners can own up to 33% of the stakes in the production of commercial cannabis.

Why Does Thailand Promote Medical Marijuana?

The military sees huge business and tax revenue-raising opportunities in the marijuana industry. Previous studies show that the global legal marijuana market will reach US$66.3 billion ($96 billion) by 2025. 

Thai lawmakers have reviewed the rapid growth of the legal cannabis industry in North America. That growth has created thousands of jobs and puts money into Government coffers. For instance, the US state of Colorado gets $29 million monthly in fees and taxes applied to legal cannabis.

According to research by Prohibition Partners, the Asian medical cannabis market could reach a worth of $8.4 billion by 2024. The legalization of cannabis from a financial stand may encourage robust economic growth in the world’s most populous region. The Thai government sees this as a major revenue opportunity coming from local and international demand.

Researches allege that Thailand’s national cannabis industry will reach $958 million by 2024. It may also help the impoverished Thai farmers to diversify their crop production. The country is already the most prominent medical tourism destination globally. 

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Robert Hill
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Robert is an editor-in-chief from Chicago, IL, with vast experience writing about the cannabis industry. He mainly focused on covering general cannabis news, political news, and cannabis crime news worldwide.

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